Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson (27 August 1908-22 January 1973) was President of the United States from 22 November 1963 to 20 January 1969, succeeding John F. Kennedy and preceding Richard Nixon. Johnson, an experienced Democratic Party politician who had previously served as a senator from Texas, Majority Whip, Minority Leader, Majority Leader, and Vice President, assumed office on the assassination of President Kennedy and was re-elected to the presidency in 1964. Johnson's tenure as President saw the United States enter the Vietnam War, the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights of 1965, among other civil rights legislation pieces, and the rise of the counterculture movement. His presidency marked the peak of liberalism in the USA, followed by the rise of conservatism under Nixon.

Early political and military careers
Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in Stonewall, Texas on 27 August 1908, and he graduated from Texas State University before becoming a teacher. In 1933, he became a congressional secretary, and he became the head of the National Youth Administration's chapter in Texas in 1935. In 1937, he was elected to the State House of Representatives as a US Democratic Party member, serving until 1949. Johnson also joined the US Navy during World War II, serving as a Lieutenant Commander; he fought in the Lae-Salamaua campaign on New Guinea in 1942. He received the Silver Star, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and World War II Victory Medal for his service in the armed forces during the war against Japan in the Pacific Ocean.

Senator from Texas
Lyndon B. Johnson ran for the US Senate in 1949, narrowly winning the primaries and the general election. Johnson, as a Southern Democrat, aligned with the conservative faction of the Democratic Party, and he served as Senate Majority Whip from 1951 to 1953. During the rest of the 1950s, he was considered the most effective Senate Majority leader in US history, as he was influential in the creation of NASA on 29 July 1958. In 1960, he ran for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, attempting to point out John F. Kennedy's youth, poor health, and his opposition to Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communism. Ironically, Kennedy would win the primary and choose Johnson as his running mate, as he needed the support of Southern Democrats if he was to win the presidency.

Vice President of the United States
Johnson assumed office as Vice President on 20 January 1960, and he made enemies with Attorney-General Robert F. Kennedy and supporters of President Kennedy due to his brusque, crude manner. Johnson attempted to increase his influence by requiring for all government agencies to cooperate with him in carrying out President Kennedy's assignments, but his efforts were snubbed. Johnson was often sent on diplomatic missions by JFK, and he also served as the head of JFK's space program during the "Space Race" against the Soviet Union.

President
On 22 November 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated by communist sympathizer Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas, and Johnson was sworn in as President of the United States on Air Force One, holding a Catholic missal in his hand due to the unavailability of a Bible. Johnson had the Kennedy assassination investigated by Earl Warren and the "Warren Commission", and he proceeded to continue many of Kennedy's policies. Following the March on Washington, Johnson had the Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed into law, and he had the American South desegregated. Johnson also began the USA's involvement in the Vietnam War in August 1964 after the Gulf of Tonkin incident, dispatching hundreds of thousands of troops to assist South Vietnam against North Vietnam and the Viet Cong during the fight against communism.

LBJ won re-election in 1964 with his promises of a "Great Society", which encompassed movements of urban renewal, modern transportation, a clean environment, anti-poverty, healthcare reform, crime control, and educational reform; however, he lost the South to Republican Party challenger Barry Goldwater, who resisted Johnson's reforms. Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in response to the Selma to Montgomery marches, and he arrested and prosecuted members of the Ku Klux Klan. In 1965, he removed immigration quotas, leading to an increase in immigration. Johnson also passed the Social Security Amendments of 1965 to create Medicare and Medicaid, assisting people with disabilities, the elderly, and the poor. He also created a new transportation department, signed the Gun Control Act of 1968, and won the space race by funding NASA.

However, LBJ lost support due to the "credibility gap" in his Great Society programs, and the mounting losses during the Vietnam War led to massive protests. The assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 also caused public outcry. The counterculture and anti-war movements sprung up around 1967, and the unpopular LBJ decided to not run for re-election in 1968. Hubert Humphrey ran as the Democratic nominee for president after the unpopular LBJ announced his declining of re-election. He returned to his ranch in 1969, and he died in 1973.